Anyone have experience with this or a good remedy?   My toy Maltese is scratching at her ear all the time and the doctor said there's nothing wrong with it.  No mites, no infection, no wax.  He gave her allergy medicine to calm the area, but I want a solution to what might be causing the allergy.

If she's not getting enough oil in her diet, it might just be dry skin.

Do you know if the ear comes in contact with plants or something as she walks by?  Or possibly something she lays on - but I'd expect her whole body to itch then.

One of the many common reasons for itchy ears is a bad diet. What you are feeding your dog will make a huge difference. If you are feeding any "grocery" store food (anything you can get at the local grocer or wal-mart) then it is very likely you are not feeding a quality food.

Some great foods out there are Taste of the Wild, Canidae, Pinnacle, Eagle Pack Holistic... and several others. You would need to go to a feed store for most of these.

The difference is that these are "Grain-free" foods. Dogs are often allergic to corn, wheat and soy. Common grains used as "fillers" in many foods.

There is an excellent website that gives you information on dog foods and rates them from best to worst by star ratings. Go to http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ to check to see where your food currently rates and how or what to switch to. Another good site is http://www.dogaware.com

Good luck!

Jessi Queen, Certified Pet Dog Trainer, Endorsed Member of the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors, CGC Evaluator

My Sheltie was doing that for a while.  I took him to the vet, and he saw redness but there were no other signs of trouble.  I gave him allergy medication for a while but it didn't seem to do anything.  Eventually he stopped and at his recent visit the ear was fine.  I still don't know what caused it, but it seemed to go away on its own.

Hmmm - now that I reread that it wasn't helpful.  Oh well, you at least have my understanding and sympathy.

Kari --It was very helpful of you to answer and thank you.  My vet said there is nothing but redness--no wax, no smell, no infection.  It's very frustrating, but I'm hoping it just goes away like yours did.  I think it might have something to do with her diet as Jessi suggested, so I'm going to start changing it.  Thanks again.

Jessi -- Thanks for your advice.  That's the kind of advice I was hoping for from my vet, but no such luck.  I'm going to look into new food and how she reacts to it. 

Monica,

You are quite welcome. Please feel free to PM me if you need help. Good luck!

Jessi